


Misslieness

by limesicle



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Confessions, Family Feels, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Post Season 5, Season 5 Spoilers, mostly anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-27 19:35:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13887693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/limesicle/pseuds/limesicle
Summary: After finally finding her again, Keith spends some time with his mother. It doesn't take her long to figure out that he has a crush, and she wastes no time in giving him some advice along with a healthy dose of teasing. She may also mother Lance a bit when she meets him.misslienessn. (from a Scottish dialect)“the feeling of solitariness that comes from missing something or someone you love.”





	Misslieness

Keith had almost gotten used to the void in his chest his mother had made when she left him behind (well, his father, too). Finding a big brother in Shiro helped fill that void. Being one of the five paladins helped, too, but he wasn’t a paladin anymore–not since he walked away leaving the red lion in need of a new pilot. 

 

The moment he sees her, a certain sense of familiarity settles in the back of his mind. But even after he gets a closer look at her face and hears her voice, he can’t place it. When he does figure it out, the realization hits him like a ton of bricks. But with the incoming enemy forces, he doesn’t have time to think about it.

 

After they make their escape, leaving the Galra commanders and their fleets behind, Keith sets the controls on autopilot. In the nights he spent alone in the shack in the middle of the desert, or even during his time when he was still at the Galaxy Garrison, he would sometimes think about this–what would he do if he saw her again. Yell at her for leaving? Try to make her explain herself? Cry? Tackle her with a hug? As he sits staring at the wide expanse of space in front of them, he realizes he wants to do all of them at once.

 

“Keith, I am sorry for leaving you.”

 

That’s all it takes for him to move. He does cry, but he doesn’t quite yell. She pats his back soothingly, like he vaguely remembers someone doing when he was little. Once he gets ahold of himself again, he wipes his eyes and sniffs loudly. By the time they return to the Blade, his eyes are free of tears, if a little red. After they report to Kolivan, they finally have some time to rest. 

 

A couple of quintents and a short reconnaissance mission later, Keith has become a little more accustomed to having his mother around. Krolia said she wouldn’t leave him again, and she does seem to have a developed a habit of following him around. At first, it was awkward, but now that he’s gotten used to it, he doesn’t mind. Since he inherited a good bit of his personality from her, their conversations are generally filled with pauses, and they skirt around emotional topics without really touching them. Most of them, anyway. It doesn’t take her long to start asking about his love life. He remembers hearing other kids complain about nosy parents and never understanding how having parents that cared could be annoying. Now he does.

 

“So, Lance–”

“Oh not again,” Keith groans. 

 

How she figured it out is a mystery to him. She had, of course, asked about his life, and he had talked about Voltron, which means he had talked about all of the paladins, including Lance, but for the life of him, he can’t come up with anything that would have tipped her off.

 

“Tell me about him.”

“I already have,” he complains.

“No, you told me about his fighting specs and capabilities. Tell me about  _ him _ –what you like about him.”

“Oh my god, I don’t know, he’s a goofball and his pick-up lines are terrible.”

“You say it as if those are grievous faults. If that’s the worst you can come up with, he’s a keeper.”

 

Keith puts his hands over his face. Why, why, why is he having this conversation.

 

“We get into stupid arguments a lot.”

“Your father and I got into ridiculous arguments all the time. I haven’t told you how he asked me out, have I?”

 

Keith shakes his head and lets his hands slip down his face so he can see her. Krolia’s expression softens into an almost wistful smile. After a rocky beginning–he had found her sneaking around the outside of restricted government facilities as she was carrying out an information-gathering mission–they had fallen into a sort of pattern. They developed a friendship based on sharp banter and sparring.

 

They used to meet at the edge of town, where the dust from the sand swirled in the wind and not many people bothered to come. Sometimes when they sparred, they’d put various bets on the outcomes. Usually, it was just things like who had to pay for drinks, but sometimes it was for an exchange of knowledge. But that day, it was “if I win, you’ll go on a date with me”. Those were the terms that day, and the next, and the next. It took him nearly two months, in total, to gain the upper hand.

 

When she finishes with the story, Keith is pensive for a moment. He wonders if he could have the courage to challenge Lance like that. The prospect seems easier than asking him directly or just expressing his feelings.

 

It takes Keith a few more conversations to realize that it feels cathartic to talk about some things. He used to talk with Shiro before he left on the Kerberos mission, but in his absence and then the business of being thrust into an intergalactic war, Keith didn’t really talk to anyone, so he had forgotten what it felt like. With his mother, he has a chance to talk things out again. Eventually, he even feels comfortable enough to ask her questions.

 

“How did you tell him?” Keith says.   
“About my feelings?”

 

He nods his head in confirmation.

 

“I probably practiced in front of a mirror hundreds of times, but in the end, I forgot everything I had planned to say.” She pauses for a moment. “If Lance is half as good as you think he is, he’ll listen even if you stutter or have to start over or if only a little bit of what you say makes sense.”

 

Lance can be patient, he knows, but the idea of trying to stumble through a confession with him listening is somewhat terrifying. His head is filled with what-ifs. What if Lance thinks it’s stupid. What if he likes someone else. What if– Keith bites his tongue and tries to silence his thoughts. It’s not like he’s seriously considering saying anything about his feelings. He hardly even sees Lance, nevermind having a moment alone with him.

 

Even though he’s busy completing missions for the Blade of Marmora as they try to keep some of the errant Galra commanders in check, he would have time to visit the castle. It seems awkward to go back, though, and every time he thinks about going, something keeps him from taking off. Maybe it’s because he thinks they’ve chosen different paths. Maybe it’s because he’s somehow nervous about the way they’ll treat him.

 

After a while, he mentions this to his mother, too. She tells him to go to them. The next time they both have clearance to do what they want, she drags him to a ship.

 

“I’m going with you to ensure that you don’t turn around halfway and because I want to meet your friends, and Lance.”

 

If Keith didn’t want to go before, he definitely doesn’t want to after that. However, with his mother hovering over him, he doesn’t have much choice. In the long run, he knows he’ll be thankful–probably, that is.

 

They show up unannounced, but Allura doesn’t hesitate to open up the castle to let them in. Most of the group is in the common room. He’s nervous for a moment, but that dissipates when he practically gets tackled with a group hug. He introduces his mother without incident. Allura is the first to shake her hand. And once introductions are done, Hunk brings them snacks. Everything feels almost normal, but there’s one person missing.

 

“Where’s–” Keith starts to ask, but he doesn’t have time to finish his question before Pidge interrupts him.

“Lance’s is on the training deck.”

“Again,” Hunk adds.

 

Keith stares at them for a moment. This is  _ new _ Lance behavior. He bites down the feeling of unease that this new piece of information invites. The dynamics within the team have clearly changed since he last saw them–of course they have. And Keith wonders how much Lance has changed. 

 

No one asks where he’s going when he gets up and heads for the training deck. The door slides open to let him in. One of the small, spherical bots zooms past. He takes a couple of steps into the room and hears the door shut. Lance is busy shooting down the bots, but since he’s an experienced combatant, Keith is sure his presence is known. 

 

He gets too caught up in staring at Lance to notice a couple of the bots head his direction. Before they get too close, though, they’re shot out of the air with pinpoint accuracy.

 

“Hey, samurai, looks like your losing your edge.”

 

Keith frowns at him and slices a bot out of the air as he walks toward Lance. A few more fall to the ground, and the sound of the lasers ceases. Keith stands face-to-face with Lance.

 

“You–”   
  


He hears the buzz of one of the bots, and ducks to dodge it, he hears the whiz of a sharp blade cut through the air and a couple of metallic  _ plinks _ as the pieces fall to the floor. When he looks up, he sees Lance with a cocky grin on his face and a red sword resting on one of his shoulders.

 

“Lance, you–  _ sword, _ ” is all he manages to say.

He lifts it off his shoulder and lets his bayard revert to it’s dormant form. “Pretty neat, huh.”

“When?” 

“A bit before Lotor made Zarkon kick the bucket. I’m not really used to it.”

 

It’s a good thing Lance is able to decipher his meaning from the few words he’s actually capable of saying out loud. If this is what happens to his verbal facilities when he sees Lance training with a blade, what would happen to him if he tried to confess? He wonders if he would even be able to form words if he tried.

 

“Keith? Hellloooo? Earth to Keith?”

He checks back in to his present conversation with Lance. “We’re not on Earth right now.”

Blue eyes blink at him incredulously, before he sighs. “Why are you like this?”

“Like what?”

 

Lance presses his fingers together and brings them to his lips. He inhales deeply and exhales with a huff. Keith watches him with a confused expression on his face. He knows conversations like this aren’t his strong suit. They could catch up on what they’ve been doing–talk about the missions–, but he doesn’t want to hear about the fights and the injuries he wasn’t there to prevent. For some reason, the memory of the conversation with his mother appears in his mind.

 

He intends to ask Lance to spar with him or maybe offer guidance on how to wield the new form of his bayard. Instead he says, “Fight me.”

 

The smile that boasts confidence spreads across Lance’s face. He raises his bayard and switches it into a sword. 

 

“Don’t cry when you lose,” Lance says.

“No need to worry,” Keith replies. “Since I won’t be losing.”

 

He activates his own blade. Lance is the first to move. There’s a clang of metal against metal when their blades clash. Keith grits his teeth. If nothing else, he has to admit that Lance’s blows carry a lot of power. Keith is confident in his skills. He has trained with a knife for as long as he can remember. Lance, who has only started, won’t stand a chance.

 

The room fills with the sounds of their sparring. Lance is better than anyone new to fighting with a sword has a right to be. He even manages to get Keith’s knife out of his hands with a lucky strike. Keith takes his revenge a moment later and takes the red bayard. Without hesitating to think about it, he makes it form to his will. Lance pushes himself backward but not fast enough. 

 

“I win,” Keith says.

“Hey, not fair,” Lance complains.

 

Keith lowers the tip of the red bayard and deactivates it. When he holds it out to Lance, it gets snatched from his hand. 

 

“You traitor,” Lance yells at the bayard. “You betrayed me. There’s no one left I can trust.”

Keith picks up his knife from the floor and resheaths it. “You can trust me.”  _ Wait, why did he say that. _

 

Lance raises his eyebrows and his expression hardens.

 

“You left,” he says.

“As you so intelligently pointed out, with Allura becoming a paladin, there aren’t enough lions for everyone, and I wanted to–” he hesitates. He’s not telling the entire truth. “I wanted to join the Blade of Marmora.”

 

He feels Lance’s gaze search his expression. It’s not a harsh gaze, but Keith feels vulnerable, like he’ll unwittingly show something in his face that he doesn’t want to say. Like Lance will be able to read it there.

 

The door slides open. Keith whips around. His mother stands in the doorway with a knowing smile on her face. When she sees him, she gives him a small wink. Keith feels his face heat up like stoplight. He is grateful to see that Lance is too busy walking over and introducing himself to notice. After a few ticks, he feels like his face has somewhat returned to it’s normal color, and he walks over to join them.

 

Lance turns when he hears footsteps. “Keith, your mom is really cool.”

 

He blinks a couple of times rapidly and sniffs loudly.

 

“Are you cry–” Keith begins.

“Space dust,” Lance says loudly. “I have a bad allergy.” He tries to wipe his eyes surreptitiously, but the motion is still obvious. “My mom probably thinks I’m dead,” he says quietly and very quickly.

Krolia reaches out a hand and pats him on the shoulder. “Let me tell you something.” Lance looks up. “Mothers have an instinct that tells them how their children are doing. I’ve nearly had a heart attack because of this one so many times.”

 

She grabs Keith and ruffles his hair. He lets out a noise of complaint, but his mother has a strong grip. Lance sniffs again, but this time he’s stifling a laugh, too. After another moment, she opens her arms and gestures Lance forward. He takes a hesitant step before she grabs his collar and pulls both him and Keith into a bone-crushing hug.

 

“It was only a little while ago that I was reunited with my son, but I wouldn’t mind having two.”

 

Keith takes a moment to parse the meaning of her words. When he does, he lifts his head to glare at her. She winks at him again, and Keith has to bury his face in her shoulder, so he doesn’t actually combust. Lance wraps an arm around his waist. 

 

_ Help me _ , he screams internally.

 

At the same time as his heartbeat races, he feels a strong sense of comfort. This feels like family. This feels like home.

 

Lance is still a little teary when they break apart, but he’s smiling, too. He follows them back to the others. Too soon they have to go. There’s never much time between missions, but he does feel calmer for having seen them.

 

“See ya, space cowboy,” Lance calls. “And space cowboy mom.”

 

Keith waves him goodbye and trails after Krolia as they go back to their ship. He hardly has time to sit down before his mother fixes him with one of those motherly looks. He’s only seen it a couple of times, but he  _ knows. _

 

“When are you telling him?” She asks.

“When am I telling who what?”

She answers as they accelerate away from the castle. “Lance, and that you like him, of course.”

 

_ Never, _ is the answer he wants to give, but he knows that’s the wrong choice. Keith chews his lip as he thinks about it. Even just the concept makes his head spin, and he sinks lower in his seat as his face reddens.

 

“I don’t know,” he says. 

 

Half of him  _ wants _ Lance to know, but half of him is terrified of rejection. He may not be the best at reading other people, but he watches Lance carefully. Even he has noticed that Lance will flirt with any female–human or otherwise. Since he has never seen Lance act the same way around any males–again, human or otherwise–that doesn’t leave him with a good chance.

 

“What if he’s straight?” Keith asks, more to himself than anyone.

“Oh, Keith.” His gaze snaps to his mother’s face. “Haven’t you noticed the way he looks at you?”

 

It takes approximately two ticks for his brain to overload, and his mother drops the conversation for the rest of the ride back to base.

 

The next time he sees Lance, the meeting isn’t as planned, or at least, Keith isn’t expecting it. They infiltrate the same Galra prison. Kolivan sends him in to disable the security system, and conveniently forgets to mention that the Voltron paladins are also taking action. He takes a step around a corner and nearly runs into Lance. He stops his blade just before it makes contact. Lance puts his hands up.

 

“Keith, buddy, my man, please don’t stab me.”

He lowers his blade. “What are you doing here?”

“Does a paladin need a reason to infiltrate a Galra prison?”

 

They make their way down one of the hallways, ducking out of view when sentries pass. There are only so many times they can dodge out of view in time. Shots echo down the hallway. Lance raises his bayard to his shoulder and fires back. He takes out the ten sentries following them with as many shots.

 

“Pidge, can’t you shut them down?” Lance calls into his intercom. He’s silent for a bit, before he turns to Keith. “We gotta go to command and stick connect this to the system,” he says, holding up a small drive.

 

He takes off down the hallway, and Keith follows on his heels. It doesn’t take long to reach the control room. Keith takes the guards on the left side of the room, and Lance takes the others. They meet at the main control table in the center of the room, slightly out of breath from the exertion of a fight. They stand at opposite ends of the table. His eyes meet Lance’s, and there’s a moment when the adrenaline rush stills. The moment is broken when Lance looks away. He hooks up Pidge’s drive to the prison’s system. 

 

They return to the hallways of the prison. Lance takes the lead, and the prisoners follow him easily. They all know who he is. The paladin armor is a bit of a giveaway. Keith activates the mask of his suit and follows at the back of the group to make sure there aren’t stragglers. He watches Lance talk with the kind of charm that gets even weary, worn-out rebel prisoners to smile. 

 

The doors are already open by the time they reach the exit. Lance steps outside first, and the others trail after him. The surface of the planet is barren and rocky and void of any signs of life. This planet’s sun gives off a harsh reddish light. It’s the perfect place for a prison. But on the flat expanse in front of them sit a couple of rebel ships. 

 

Keith hangs back as the freed prisoners board. He’s not a paladin anymore. His job lies more in the shadows and out-of-sight places. A hand lands on his shoulder, and he startles slightly. He knows who it is before he looks up. What he’s not expecting is the inviting smile on Lance’s face.

 

“I feel like I’ve said this before, but we do make a good team.”

In the moment he takes to respond, he can feel his face color. “Yeah, I guess we do.”

 

His gaze wanders back to the rebel ships. The doors are closing. A cloud of dust swirls around the base of each ship, and Keith watches as they lift off. In another instant, they disappear. The silence they leave behind is peaceful but empty. He turns back to Lance.

 

“I should go back to headquarters,” he says somewhat stiffly.

“I can give you a ride.”

 

Keith hesitates before replying. On one hand, he gets to spend more time with Lance. On the other, he has to deal with an erratic heartbeat and spinning thoughts for longer. It is more convenient than going back into the prison and looking for a ship to take. In the end, he accepts the offer.

 

They have to walk a short ways around the perimeter of the building to get to the place that Lance left his lion. When Red comes into view, Keith feels a sort of pang in his chest. It has been a while since they last saw each other, and Keith misses piloting one of the Voltron lions more than he usually admits. Once inside, Lance takes off his helmet and sits in the pilot’s chair. Keith stands behind him, bracing one hand on the back of his seat.

 

“You’re gonna have to tell me where to go, because I don’t remember the coordinates.”

 

Keith supplies the information without a second thought. Maybe he should be more careful with the location of their  _ secret base _ , but he trusts Lance, and all of the paladins have seen it before anyway. He watches Lance enter the coordinates and watches him handle the controls and navigate them smoothly through the planet’s atmosphere and off through the void of space. Once they’re cruising, Lance leans back in his seat and sticks his feet up. Keith nearly reprimands him for putting his feet on the dashboard of  _ his _ lion, before he remembers that the lion is Lance’s now.

 

“It’s too quiet in here. Say something, Keith.”

“Something.”

Lance cranes his neck just saw he can give him that exasperated look. “Even you know what I meant.”

“What do you want me to say?” 

“How are you, what have you been doing, who’s butt have you kicked recently–I don’t know, but if you don’t start talking, I’m going to start thinking about my family, and then I’m gonna cry again.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Yes–no.” Lance looks at him with eyes that are strikingly blue even in the red light of the cockpit. “Keeeiiithhhh.” He drags out the single syllable into three.

 

In the end, Lance fills the silence with his own chattering. He talks about what the Voltron team has been doing, saying much more interesting things than what’s written the reports. Keith laughs at the stories of their antics and reprogramming Lotor’s sentries. It feels like too soon when the two black holes and the blue giant that hide headquarters come into view. Lance halts Red.

 

“This is where we either get fried or sucked into nothingness unless we follow that one path, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And that path is…?”

“Let me pilot.”

 

Lance only hesitates for a couple of ticks before he gets up.

 

“Usually, I would argue with you, but I don’t want to know what being in a black hole feels like.”

 

Arriving in the red lion causes a bit of a stir. Lance follows him out of the cockpit, his face a bit paler than usual and muttering something about nearly dying. He straightens his back as some of the other members of the Blade approach. Keith feels the weight of several gazes on his shoulders. 

 

Kolivan is the first to speak. He questions them for a short while, searching for a reason why the red paladin would come to their headquarters. When he finds none, other than  _ giving Keith a ride _ , he sighs and signals dismissal to the other members of the Blade. Then he turns to Lance and informs him it won’t be safe to leave for about a quintent.

 

“Quinzak,” Lance says. “Allura’s going to be mad, she wanted me to escort supplies tomorrow.” 

“The path is still open now, though it is rapidly narrowing. If you left immediately, you may be able to leave before being the gravitational pull overwhelms you.”

Lance shudders slightly. “I think I’d rather get yelled at by Allura.”

 

Since Lance decides not to leave, he’s told to stay with Keith and not cause trouble. He follows Keith as he’s been instructed to do, causing heads to turn as he goes. Keith leads him through the common areas and the training decks to get to the individual rooms. Each one is small, containing only a bed and a couple of shelves for personal possessions. He kicks the door to his open and ushers Lance inside.

 

He watches as Lance puts his helmet down on one of the shelves. He removes the rest of his armor piece by piece. The way his long fingers unsnap the guards with a practiced nimbleness is mesmerizing. Keith only realizes he probably shouldn’t stare when Lance is already finished.

 

“What do you do here?” He asks.

“Sleep, eat, train,” Keith answers.

“That’s so boring. Don’t you ever do anything fun?”

 

Lance returns to his stories about paladin antics to fill the silence in the air. At some point, they both sit down on the bed. Keith tucks his knees to his chest, while Lance crosses his legs and rests his hands on his knees. Someone knocks on the door, and they both look up. Krolia bursts in a moment later. Her eyes fall on Keith first and then on Lance. 

 

“Sorry to interrupt,” she says, and withdraws from the room.

“There’s nothing to interrupt!” Keith calls after her.

 

The door swings shut, and they’re left alone again. Lance turns to look at him, but Keith avoids his gaze. This is probably one of the few times he’ll be alone with Lance when they’re not busy dodging lasers in the midst of a battle. It might be the best opportunity to confess for a long time. When he thinks about it, the words catch in his throat. Maybe he should try anyway. When he looks up, Lance is studying his expression again. There’s a small crease between his eyebrows.

 

“If there’s something you want to talk about, I’m listening,” he says.

“It’s nothing,” Keith says hurriedly. “Let’s go do something fun.”

 

When they arrive at one of the training decks, Lance looks at him with a disappointed face. “You said  _ fun _ .”

Keith shrugs. “Learning how to not die in battle is fun.”

 

Even though Lance complains, he steps onto the floor without hesitation. Today, they fight hand-to-hand without the aid of their blades. They clash several times, and of course, being the competitive people that they are, they keep score. Keith wins the first three matches, but the fights are close. He loses the next, but wins the one after. Lance is getting stronger, and it’s both inspiring and terrifying to watch.

 

After eleven matches, the score is seven to four in Keith’s favor. They’re both out of breath and a few bruises worse for the wear.

 

“I’ll win the next one,” Lance says.

“You keep saying that…”

“And I’m right some of the time.”

 

Once he’s caught his breath, Keith takes a stance, and Lance follows suit. Because he is slightly shorter, Keith can duck under many of the blows that come his way. He blocks fast, but Lance breaks through his guard a couple of times. In another dobash, he catches Lance off balance and sends him to the floor. His weight on Lance’s chest immobilizes him.

 

“Ugh, you win,” Lance sighs. “You can get off me now.”

 

Keith hastily removes himself, and Lance pulls himself into a sitting position. The adrenaline is still pumping through his veins, but Keith knows that’s not the only thing responsible for his racing heartbeat. He looks back at his sparring partner. Lance has his weight resting on his wrists. The rise and fall of his chest is still rapid.

 

“Lance.”

“Hm?”

Keith bites his lip, his resolve to tell Lance keeps wavering. “Nevermind.”

 

Lance drops his head back and lets its weight hang from his shoulders. He inhales deeply and raises his head again. 

 

“Keith.”

“Hm?”   
“It’s better just to say these things and get it over with.”

Keith blinks back at the look he’s given. “Do you…know what I want to say?”

“Maybe.” He cocks his head. “I don’t actually know until you say it though.”

 

Keith has to look away, the weight of Lance’s gaze is too intense. He thinks back to his mother’s words and how he hasn’t practiced at all. He hasn’t even thought about what he would say. All he knows is that he knows next to nothing about romance. He vaguely remembers reading an article titled “10 ways to ask someone out” when he was 9th grade, but that hardly helps him now.

 

He takes a deep breath. How does he go about telling Lance he’s an idiot and an inspiration? Or that he’s one of the few people he trusted before he could stop himself?  Or that his smile is one of the most beautiful things he’s ever seen? Or maybe Lance doesn’t need to know all those things. Keith closes his eyes, so he doesn’t have to watch the reaction. Maybe he should just keep it simple.

 

“I have a crush on you.”

 

Every second of silence that follows his confession is painful. In each one, he can only hear the pounding of his heartbeat. In each one, he grows more sure that Lance will push him away. He hears a rustle of movement, and his eyes flutter open on reflex. Lance has shifted to face him, his face closer than Keith expected but not close enough for him to pull back. 

 

“I thought so.”

“You don’t have to sound so smug about it.”   
“I’m no–” He shakes his head. “Why did you close your eyes?”

“Because… I don’t trust people not to leave me, not even you.”   
  


Lance has that searching expression on his face again. His eyes scan Keith’s face, and Keith wonders if he can see more than just what’s on the surface. Sometimes it feels like Lance can read the things he doesn’t want to say aloud like they’re written on his skin. This is one of those times. Keith struggles to stay still under the probing gaze.

 

“I’m still here, aren’t I?”   
“That’s no guarantee.”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily. I tend to be a super clingy boyfriend.”

“Boyfr–” Keith stops mid-word as his mind struggles to comprehend it. “Wait, then…”

“Then we’re going out.”He holds up one finger, “Keith” he holds up another, “and Lance,” he puts them together, “are going out.” At the lack of response, he frowns slightly and sets his hands down. “Unless I read the situation wrong, and you don’t want to.”

“No, I do want– it’s just…” his brain is malfunctioning.

 

He can’t remember how to form words. How is he supposed to respond to this? His emotions in the moment are strong, and he doesn’t know how to deal with strong emotions well–especially not this one. Anger he knows. Loneliness and frustration are no strangers either. But this feeling is something different. 

 

“Take your time,” Lance says, and though he says it with a bit of a laugh in his voice, the sentiment is warm.

 

Keith tries to steady his breathing. Tries to reconcile the feeling of contentment with the fear of being left and the impossible hope that Lance won’t. While he attempts to put his feelings together in a way that makes sense, Lance sits by him patiently without interrupting. For that, Keith is grateful. 

 

He clears his throat before he speaks again. “I do want to…go out with you.”

“Cool.”

“I just– this is new to me,” he admits.

“I can be gentle,” Lance says with a smirk and a wiggle of his eyebrows.

 

A rush of heat travels up Keith’s spine, and he covers his face with his hands. 

 

“I’m kidding,” Lance clarifies. “All my exes were, uh, girls anyway, so this is new to me, too.”

 

Keith uncovers his face slowly, though he knows his cheeks are still red. Lance gets to his feet first and offers a hand. He pulls Keith into a standing position.

 

The time until Lance is able to leave passes faster than Keith would have liked. And when the time is over, he does have to go. Voltron needs him. The universe needs him. Keith hears him apologize for not making the supply escort mission. He watches as Lance’s face changes from neutral to sheepish at whatever Allura is saying to him. When he’s finished, he sighs heavily.

 

“I gotta go,” he says.

 

Keith nods shortly. He knew they wouldn’t have long to spend together, of course, but he doesn’t want to watch Lance leave even though he’s promised to come back. 

 

“You know how to contact me, right? Or you could just show up at the castle–I don’t think anyone would mind.” Lance hesitates. “Quiznak, I don’t know when I’m going to see you again.”

 

He meets Keith’s eyes with a worried expression on his face. Before he can stop himself, Keith stretches out his arms and wraps them tightly around Lance’s waist. He feels the weight of Lance’s arms on his shoulders. For a moment, he lets himself think only of the present and the gentle warmth that surrounds him. Too soon, he has to let go. 

 

“Soon,” he says. “Make sure it’s soon.”

A smile cracks across Lance’s face. “I will.”

 

Before he turns to go to Red, he presses his lips to Keith’s cheek for a swift kiss. Then he dashes off. Keith stands where he is, too stunned to move. When he regains some composure, he trails after Lance, but hangs back when he sees that there are other members of the Blade standing around the red lion to see him off. 

 

Lance turns back and gives everyone a last wave before he disappears into the lion. Keith watches him go. He holds his breath as he watches Red disappear and waits for Lance to make it safely outside of the range of the gravity field. When he does, Keith breathes a sigh of relief and lets his shoulders relax. He tenses them again a tick later when his mother drops a hand on his shoulder.

 

“So, Keith–”

“Oh, no,” he groans.

“Did you tell him yet?”

He turns away to hide the blush on his face. “Yes,” he says, feeling a rush of warmth in his chest. 

“Lance is my boyfriend now.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I had a mess of feelings after season 5, so I had to write something. But aaaaaaa honestly, I just want them to see each other again (; - ;)  
> This is unbeta'd and unedited, so pls forgive errors;;; Thank you for reading! <3


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